Observation / Reflection #5: The Game of School
After talking with my CT and really looking at his classroom and how it is run I think that he is working against the concept of the GOS as Fried describes it. The problem is that students are struggling because going against the grain can be uncomfortable and it shows in some of their poorer grades. Unfortunately, the school as a whole is still playing the game by having the two teachers that are in charge of Advanced Biology coordinate all of their classes and labs. Although this prevents a “bad” teacher from causing students to miss out on learning opportunities, it can really stifle a good teacher and cause his or her students to miss out on greater opportunities. Is uniform teaching more important than giving students with opportunities a better experience? The Teaching Gap and the Game of School seem to both key in on the idea that in America schools and classrooms focus on demonstrating and having students follow. My CT and I agree that in life there is no demonstration that you can follow to succeed, so why should school use this format. In Mr. Reis’ room often in labs students make the models to prove the theories. So far they have required much direction which Mr. Reis tries to give without losing the point of this type of discovery lab.
Many times when I was in school I felt as if school really was a game as described. If you play your role, or diagnose different types of teachers and what they “want,” then you can easily win, and graduate without truly learning anything. I think that to make sure as a teacher you do not fall into this role you can never become complacent or comfortable in your role as a teacher. If you are always challenging yourself to make the dynamics of your classroom more challenging, than you will be challenging the students as well. Students should always be guessing about what is coming next, they should never find that rhythm in which they are comfortable with “what the teacher wants.” I feel like the biggest problem in teaching more critically and outside of the box is that grading sometimes does not accurately depict student’s progress. This is what my teacher is discovering and trying to work with at this point.
After talking with my CT and really looking at his classroom and how it is run I think that he is working against the concept of the GOS as Fried describes it. The problem is that students are struggling because going against the grain can be uncomfortable and it shows in some of their poorer grades. Unfortunately, the school as a whole is still playing the game by having the two teachers that are in charge of Advanced Biology coordinate all of their classes and labs. Although this prevents a “bad” teacher from causing students to miss out on learning opportunities, it can really stifle a good teacher and cause his or her students to miss out on greater opportunities. Is uniform teaching more important than giving students with opportunities a better experience? The Teaching Gap and the Game of School seem to both key in on the idea that in America schools and classrooms focus on demonstrating and having students follow. My CT and I agree that in life there is no demonstration that you can follow to succeed, so why should school use this format. In Mr. Reis’ room often in labs students make the models to prove the theories. So far they have required much direction which Mr. Reis tries to give without losing the point of this type of discovery lab.
Many times when I was in school I felt as if school really was a game as described. If you play your role, or diagnose different types of teachers and what they “want,” then you can easily win, and graduate without truly learning anything. I think that to make sure as a teacher you do not fall into this role you can never become complacent or comfortable in your role as a teacher. If you are always challenging yourself to make the dynamics of your classroom more challenging, than you will be challenging the students as well. Students should always be guessing about what is coming next, they should never find that rhythm in which they are comfortable with “what the teacher wants.” I feel like the biggest problem in teaching more critically and outside of the box is that grading sometimes does not accurately depict student’s progress. This is what my teacher is discovering and trying to work with at this point.